This is a glossary entry gathering what can be verified about the term and distinguishing the established significance from questions that require additional text.
It belongs to the Shahrur glossary. For reading by theme, one may refer to Shahrur’s major themes and shared concepts.
What the evidence establishes
The available material establishes that Shahrur distinguishes among “guilt,” “bad deed,” and “sin.” It is therefore not correct to treat these terms as complete synonyms merely because they are linguistically close.
What the evidence does not settle
The available evidence does not provide an independent definition of sin, establish that it is a guilt or bad deed accompanied by persistence and lack of repentance, or specify a fixed order of degrees of responsibility or punishment. Nor does denying a sexual interpretation of the first sin determine what it is instead.
Distinctions
- Sin is not equated with guilt or bad deed merely because they occur in the same context.
- The detailed difference among these terms, and their relation to forgiveness, reform, or repentance, still requires direct textual passages.